Mexican governors of New Mexico were the political
chief executives of the province and later territory of
Santa Fe de Nuevo México
Santa Fe de Nuevo México ( en, Holy Faith of New Mexico; shortened as Nuevo México or Nuevo Méjico, and translated as New Mexico in English) was a Kingdom of the Spanish Empire and New Spain, and later a territory of independent Mexico. The ...
(New Mexico) between 1822, when
Mexico gained independence from Spain, and 1846, when the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
occupied the territory following the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. It was succeeded as a
territory
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
of the United States, and as the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
.
History
In January 1822 the last Governor under the Spanish regime,
Facundo Melgares
Facundo Melgares (1775, Caravaca, Murcia, Spain - unknown) was a Spanish military officer who served as both the last Spanish Governor of New Mexico and the first Mexican Governor of New Mexico. Melgares was, like most of the officials of the S ...
, lost the title of governor and was now called ''géfe político'' (political chief) and ''géfe militar'' (military chief). Melgáres left the political office on July 5, 1822, and Francisco Xavier Chavez took his place, holding office for just five months, when he was succeeded in November 1822 by Colonel
José Antonio Vizcarra
José Antonio Vizcarra (or Viscarra) was a Mexican soldier who served as Governor of New Mexico from 1822 to 1823.
While conducting an expedition against the Navajos in 1823, he was the first to record the ruins of Chaco Canyon.
Career outline
Jo ...
. Vizcarra had succeeded Melgáres as ''géfe militar'' in October 1822.
In September 1823, a retired Militia Captain named Don
Bartolomé Baca was appointed ''géfe politico''. Eleven more men were to serve as either ''géfe político'' or governor before the occupation of New Mexico in 1846 by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
.
New Mexico was at first a province of the ''Estado interno del Norte'', with capital in
Chihuahua. As of July 6, 1824, New Mexico was made a separate territory, with
El Paso del Norte
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
(now called Ciudad Juárez) transferred from New Mexico to the State of Chihuahua.
Political chiefs and governors
The political chiefs (''géfe políticos'') or governors were:
See also
*
History of New Mexico
The history of New Mexico is based on archaeological evidence, attesting to the varying cultures of humans occupying the area of New Mexico since approximately 9200 BCE, and written records. The earliest peoples had migrated from northern areas of ...
**
List of Spanish governors of New Mexico
Spanish Governors of New Mexico were the political chief executives of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México (New Mexico) between 1598, when it was established by an expedition by Juan de Oñate, and 1822, following Mexico's declaration of in ...
(1598–1822)
**
List of U.S. governors of New Mexico (1846–present)
References
;Citations
;Sources
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mexican governors of New Mexico
+
Governors,Mexican
*
New Mexico-related lists